Tumblr : bluebellhairpin
Song: Saturn by Sleeping At Last
Summary: The ties between you and the elven king grew thin, and even thinner once his beloved wife died. Then, one night, you were brought back together again, by the son his wife left behind.
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With shortness of breath, I'll explain the infinite
How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist
You taught me the courage of stars before you left
How light carries on endlessly, even after death
The death of the queen came as an unexpected loss the the whole of Mirkwood. Mere months after giving birth to the prince and soul heir to the throne, she was taken to Gundabad and never seen again.
You were one of her closest friends, and admittedly had known her husband and the king even longer. You'd known him since you were elflings, and you were teetering around the thought that you might've been the one he was to marry, but that was before the Queen came along per to King Oropher's request. She was the one he married instead.
She was perfect. Poised like a angel, gentle and caring towards all, she was a picture of starlight and she truly was the heart of Mirkwood.
But when she left, she didn't only leave the population Queen-less and a elf without a wife, but a son without a mother.
It was that son, Legolas, that brought your distanced ties with King Thranduil back together.
The child would cry, every night. His nurses and his governess tried and tried, but he'd only stop for a few hours. It was almost driving you mad.
You understood he was somewhat missing his mother and her hold, and with Thranduil's lack of interest in anything to do with the Queen, he was also left without a father. He was left without love.
With shortness of breath, you explained the infinite
How rare and beautiful it is to even exist
On particularly clear night, the boy's cries seemed to be louder. You, being housed just down the hallway, decided to do something about it.
You quickly made your way down the carved hallways, silk green robe swishing against your legs as you moved to get to the child's room before anyone else heard him.
You entered his room, too large of a space to be home to a baby, and closed the door gently behind you before making your way towards the wooden crib.
Cooing at the child, telling him it was okay, that you were here to help, you picked him up, cradling him near your chest and continued to whisper comforting words to him as you ran your fingers down the back of his head.
As Legolas calmed, now only whimpering when he used to be wailing, you swayed on your feet, trading hushed words for a soft tune; one your mother had sung to you when you were much younger, unaware of an onlooking pair of eyes.
Thranduil was urged by those around him to take his son back under his wing, to care for him, mostly to stop the crying in the night. But the king wouldn't have a bar of it, thinking of the son his wife left behind washed a horrible wave of nostalgia over him.
I couldn't help but ask
For you to say it all again
Eventually he managed to pull himself from his distractions one fateful night, his child's cried echoing down the hall towards his chambers.
He'd only just reached the turn into the princes hall when he saw an unknown figure rushing into the room. He frowned, none of the servants were dressed like that, and the princes personal caretakers had uniforms they had to wear. It suddenly hit him that this was no servant of his, and he panicked. What if the figure was to kill his son? The silencing of the child's cries made the panic in his stomach rise to his throat. He went towards the closed door, intending to burst in and kill whoever dared hurt his son, but softly sung words seeping through the door made him halt in his would-be attack.
He cracked the door open and there you were; the She-Elf he hadn't seen or spoke to in almost two centuries, cradling his son to your chest and singing him a lullaby Thranduil knew to be the one your mother sung to you. You'd even sung it to him when his father had been a little too harsh in his much younger years.
It occurred to him that he'd forgotten you, and seeing you there with his motherless son made him realise that was a huge mistake.
I tried to write it down
But I could never find a pen
After that night, you weren't sure what really happened, but you had a feeling you hushing Legoals down had something to do with Thranduil's new interest in everything you did.
He'd invite you to every meal, breakfast, lunch, and dinner; he'd offer to train with you, giving you tips on how you should hold your sword and aiming your bow; he even asked you to attend the Feast of Starlight with him.
By now, Legolas was only about a couple years old, walking was something he was getting used to, but talking was still foreign. For that you were grateful. You feared the young prince picked up more then he let on, and if he could speak, might let loose a few facts you'd rather stayed secret.
The Feast of Starlight was upon you, and you'd had some tailors working on your dress for a good few weeks to make sure it'd be just right.
It shimmered down you body in colours of silver, gold and green, hints of red showing when the light hit it in just the right spots, an off-shoulder collar, three-quarter length arms, and the fabric curved to start flowing out to the ground from your waistline. It really was amazing, almost as beautiful as the swords your elven kin made those years ago.
Your hair was done much fancier than usual, trading your usual common braids for ones more intricate and delicately placed. You almost looked like full-blooded royalty. Almost.
The Feast was being held in one of the largest rooms of the palace, but Thranduil had asked you to meet him just outside the northern entrance, and that was exactly where you found him.
"My king, I'm sorry if I kept you waiting long." You said, bowing lightly as a way of gaining his attention. He smiled at you, taking your hand and pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles, bowing his head a little as he spoke.
"Not long at all. If it was, I didn't even notice." he said, smiling at you gently.
I'd give anything to hear
You say it one more time
The night went by amazingly. You almost couldn't believe how much you enjoyed it.
The food was divine, as expected; the wine was the best Thranduil had stashed away; the company was well-behaved, Thranduil had invited Elrond and some of his kin to join you, and you must say they knew how to have a good time.
Thranduil kept you close throughout the night, not straying too far, and making sure to at least have you fingertips touching if he was in conversation with someone that you weren't. You found his behavior strange, but you also liked it, it wasn't quite like him and yet it was at the same time.
His touches always lingered, whether it be on your hand, elbow, arms or back. His voice seemed to stay close by, whispering snarky yet amusing comments about others that left a warm tickle at the back of your neck. He made sure you started eating before he did, drinking before he did. He thought you didn't notice. But you did.
And you found yourself enjoying it. A lot.
He could feel it, how happy you were, and decided that yes. You were the one, the one who was more happy around him compared to being afraid, and that made you all the more perfect. And he wished he never stopped paying you attention. Something that he wasn't used to, but found himself liking. A lot.
That the universe was made
Just to be seen by my eyes
Eventually the whole kingdom was bustling full of life at the news of the new prince. Such news had been greatly anticipated since the newly appointed queen was announced to be with child.
The now almost of age elder prince, Legolas, was almost bursting with the idea of becoming a older brother, and swore to protect the baby with his entire being.
The king, Thranduil, just about passed out when he first heard the news, then did pass out when word got to him that the queen was in labour. He felt lucky that he woke soon enough to get you through the worst part, then fainted again once the baby was swaddled up in your arms.
You let out a breathless laugh at your husband, Legolas trying to hide his own smirk as his father was trying to be (lightly) slapped awake by one of the attending healers. The baby in your arms opening and closing his eyes at you as he gurgled like little children do.
Eventually Thranduil gained lovely consciousness, and swore, just like his elder son, to protect and care for his new son as much as he promised to love you.
And the song you sung Legolas all those years ago was sung again, and again, for many generations after that.
With shortness of breath, I'll explain the infinite
How rare and beautiful it truly is that we exist